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Granite lanterns (ishidoro) outside the characteristic portico or gate (torii) of a small Shinto shrine in the mountains. Shintoism is the old religion of Japan. It is animistic, in that it confers a soul upon every individual thing, and the idea and act of purification plays an important role in it. (Buddhism came to Japan in the 6th century, from China and Korea, and in many ways blended with Shinto in Japan.) The ishidoro are to be seen not only at temple gates, but in many gardens throughout Japan.